Circular Materials Selected as a Strategic Project by the European Commission Under CRMA

31 March 2025

An Italian project on a European scale recognized as strategic for the sustainable recovery of critical raw materials from waste.

Circular Materials, an Italian company specialized in the recovery and valorization of metals from industrial wastewater, has been selected as a Strategic Project under the Critical Raw Materials Act, along with 3 other projects in Italy and 46 in Europe.

The CRMA aims to secure European access to strategic raw materials, by increasing recycling efforts and reducing dependency on imports. Here Circular Materials plays a key role: the company’s patented innovation, SWaP (Supercritical Water Precipitation), leverages the properties of supercritical water to recover valuable metals with a 99% efficiency rate, preventing the loss of resources and eliminating the production of toxic sludges.

“This is a milestone that validates our commitment to providing a sustainable alternative to traditional mining and a key driver for our scale-up at European level. We will keep working closely with key stakeholders to improve Europe’s role in the responsible management of critical resources”, stated Marco Bersani, founder and CEO. “We have the privilege to thrive in Italy and Europe, where institutions are demonstrating a strong focus and commitment to circularity and sustainability”.

Being recognized as a Strategic Project enables Circular Materials to accelerate its industrial development plan, benefiting from streamlined permitting procedures and enhanced access to public funding to establish recovery centers more rapidly across Europe.

The company was founded in 2019 and backed by 360 Capital in 2020, launched its first authorized plant in Padua, where a team of 24 people recovers Nickel, Copper, Tin, Chromium, and precious metals with a processing capacity of about 1,000 tons of wastewater per year. A new plant will be installed in Italy by 2026, with an industrial wastewater treatment capacity of up to 20,000 tons per year and valorization of over 4ktpa in strategic metals, through a network of hubs in key industrial districts across EU by 2030.

Aligned with the Clean Industrial Deal strategy, Circular Materials is positioned as a key partner for strategic industries—including batteries, semiconductors, defense, and aerospace—to become more sustainable and resilient towards the global raw materials challenges.